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Sam Winchester, pre-law student at Stanford University had led a tumultuous life, a life filled with monsters and things he rather forgot the existence of, being ‘looked after’ by his brother for as long as he could remember. His childhood and home life were characterized by the feeling of walking on thin ice, sleepless nights, and playing pretend. Pretending that everything was fine, that he didn’t hear, didn’t see the things that were truly going on. He would hide his father’s abuse from his brother because he knew he was often met with the same fate, and hide his brother’s abuse from the world because he knew the boy didn’t know any better. He loved his brother, he truly did, he had forgiven him for his actions a long time ago. Though this long time ago was only after leaving, after feeling what it’s like to be on his own, to not have someone force him into a direction for the first time in his life, and he had yet to actually tell Dean how he really felt.
“Why did you ask?”
Sam looks at Brady, his friend, a dumbass for dropping out of medical school with no warning whatsoever but his friend nonetheless – sitting across from him at their now regularly visited bar. The place had a warm, dim light that cast shadows over their faces, the hum of quiet conversations and clinking glasses filling the background.
“Are you gay for my brother?”
Brady grins, lifting his beer glass as if in a toast but lowering it as he realizes that of course, Sam has nothing but water in front of him “I’m gay for everyone’s brother man.” He chuckles “nah, am I not allowed to ask about my buddy's home life or something?”
“Not particularly anything ‘home’ about that place Brady” There is some tension there, they could both feel it, however Sam had never blamed nor gotten mad at his friend for asking, if anything he guessed it could be nice to have someone as willing to listen as he was. They had both known some rough patches, Brady quickly going from a bright and studious young adult to this person that now sat before him in just a few months after Sam got to college but at the very least his drug binges appeared to be over now.
“No, I know”
“Hell I don’t even know if they still live there you know, for all I know they moved, again, not unlike them to just pack their bags and leave”
“No I know” Brady repeats, they had known each other for years by this point, even before college, and though Brady had only seen Sam’s homelife in person once or twice those experiences had been enough for anyone to guess just what kind of dynamics were at play there. Brady sighed, taking a swig of his drink, eyes still on Sam as he waits for him to continue, something he doesn’t do, before attempting to spur the fire on more himself “you make me actually appreciate being an only child sometimes, you really do.”
Sam shrugged, the motion almost dismissive as he leaned back in his seat, finally meeting Brady’s gaze again.
“You know, you could call or text him” Brady suggested, his tone casual but his eyes watching Sam closely.
Sam’s head tilted slightly, his eyebrows knitting together as he regarded Brady with a hint of incredulity. He had his attention. “Why?”
Sam’s voice almost sounded insulted, though his tone remained informal, laced with that familiar sarcasm that often masked his deeper emotions this in contrast to Brady’s probing.
“You know I tried that right?” Sam adds “Not that long ago even. Know what I got met with?”
“This is Dean’s other other cell?” Brady laughs, Sam joining, his own laugh short but genuine
“Exactly.” Sam picks up his own glass, sipping on it before placing it back down
“Watch out before you poison yourself”
“Oh shut up” Sam grins
“How’s that girl anyway?”
“Jessica?”
Brady nods, successfully having changed the subject, Sam’s slight apprehension from his earlier questions dissolving like a switch now he gets to talk about something, or someone, he clearly likes thinking about, a twinkle going across his eyes.
“She’s fun, like you said, I mean she didn’t seem very happy about that stunt you pulled ruining her clothes but-“
“I’m a great wingman?”
“The greatest”
“I mean I prefer to think of myself as the devil on your shoulder” Brady joked, a hint of some underlying emotion palpable in his voice “but I will take that. Thought she was perfect for you since the second I met her” Brady smiles “don’t mess it up tough, introducing one friend to another, it would be awkward for me if things went sideways.”
The two sit in silence for a couple of minutes, Sam primarily focused on the conversations and the people around them, while Brady only has eyes for his friend “I’m happy you’re happy man” he eventually says, having finished his drink and pressing a bill on the table “might not have been the easiest time but you will see,” he gets up and pats Sam on his shoulder before he heads for the door “You’re on the path you’re meant to be on”
With that they two bid each other good night, Sam remaining in the bar for a while longer, having noticed the eyes of the man he met in the laundromat earlier that week focused on him from a table in the corner of the room.
Sam raises his glass at him, getting nothing in return other than the man’s eyes quickly darting away to focus on something else.
Castiel sighed, swirling some liquid in a glass he had only requested to ‘blend’, not actually drinking as he pushed the impulse to go straight after the man with the demon’s face down. Instead, he inspected Sam, his awkward but at ease demeanor, and his pulled shoulders. Castiel recognized them well.
This wasn’t the right moment, fate kept him from acting, not yet.